This is where Mexico, the Southwestern United States, and Italy meet. I love pasta, Pico de Gallo, and cactus. So I thought,”What if I mix all three?” Well, I must say it is a hit with the family, and I hope if you try it, it is with you too. This dish is vegan, vegetarian, healthy, free of preservatives, and artificial colors.
The first thing to do is gather the necessary supplies and ingredients. Proper preparation makes cooking easy.
For this recipe, I chopped the cilantro, tomatoes, red onion, and jalapeno that you see in the photo. For the cactus, I am to lazy to cut spines and peel them, unless I am in outdoors survival mode. I purchase my cactus already prepared. Mix all the chopped vegetables in a large mixing bowl except the cactus with 1/2 teaspoon sea salt and one tablespoon olive oil. Squeeze juice of one lime and one lemon into bowl. Mix again with fork. Boil the cactus for about seven minutes and drain off slime. Run the cactus under cool water to cool it down. Boil Farfalle pasta until al dente or slightly firm. This takes about ten minutes. Drain, rinse with cold water, and place in large bowl with vegetables, and one more tablespoon of olive oil. Mix well.
Your now ready to enjoy!
Cactus Salad Farfalle
Albert Moyer, Jr. 